Erin Wissing

Erin Wissing joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation as Deputy Executive Director in September of 2024. Wissing assists the Executive Director in overseeing, planning and executing the vision and mission of the Virginia Athletics Foundation including, but not limited to strategies revolving around fundraising, marketing and communications, events, stewardship, gift processing, fiscal affairs, personnel matters, strategic planning and goal setting, and helping the executive director lead the organization to best support VAF’s values and fundraising objectives. Erin also serves on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD).

A Charlottesville native, Wissing came to the VAF following seven years at Furman where she played a key role in the vision and oversight of athletics fundraising, leading all aspects of philanthropy for Furman Athletics.

Wissing was instrumental in modernizing the fundraising model for Furman Athletics, launching the Furman Athletics Fund and growing philanthropy for athletics from under $4 million annually to over $19 million annually in a span of six years. In her tenure, Wissing helped raise $70 million to advance key priorities through philanthropy including renovations to facilities, operational enhancement funds, and significant growth to the athletics scholarship endowment.

Prior to Furman, she served for five years at Kennesaw State in multiple leadership and strategic planning capacities, including fundraising, ticketing, corporate sales, and external relations. She played a central role in the establishment of The Owls Fund, the university’s first annual fund for athletics, growing the donor base to over 1,200 and donations from $15,000 to over $1.08 million, and was instrumental in the establishment of the university’s FCS football program.

A 2010 cum laude graduate of Wake Forest with a B.A. degree in communications, Wissing was a four-year letterwinner on the dance team and began her professional career as a Deacon Club intern before accepting a position as assistant director of athletic development at Wake Forest in August of 2010.

She and her husband, Geoff, have a son, Ford, and two daughters, Davie and Scottie.